The House Of Cupcakes
by TheWeepingFangirl
Summary: Merlin works at the house of cupcakes and Arthur is a university student, well that's how it all begins anyway. This story focuses on different moments in Arthur and Merlin's life, includes Arthur/Merlin, Merlin/Gwaine, Arthur/Sophia, Merlin/Elyan, Arthur/Gwen and Merlin/Morgana. AU.


**Title: **The House of Cupcakes

**Rating: **K+

**Chapter Pairing: **Arthur/Sophia, Merlin/Gwaine

**Summary: **Merlin works at the house of cupcakes and Arthur is a university student, well that's how it all begins anyway. This story focuses on different moments in Arthur and Merlin's life, includes Arthur/Merlin, Merlin/Gwaine, Arthur/Sophia, Merlin/Elyan, Arthur/Gwen and Merlin/Morgana. AU.

**Word count: **

Saturday 17th May 2003.

The blonde entered the House of Cupcakes with a smug smile on his face as he lead, what Merlin assumed to be the man's girlfriend, into the café and to a two person table next to the front windows. Merlin couldn't help noticing how attractive the man looked, with his golden skin, golden hair and bright eyes which although Merlin couldn't see very well, he was sure were blue or maybe even green. He glanced at the woman, small, petit, long golden hair with a tinge of ginger, Merlin thought she was pretty average compared to the stunning man sitting opposite her. He picked up his notepad and pen and walked swiftly over to the couple.

"Hello, I'm Merlin, what can I get for you?" he asked politely with a smile directly mainly at Arthur but tried to make it not so obvious, switching his eye contact every now and again. The blonde looked up and Merlin noted his eyes were a deep blue, a deep wonderful blue…

"I'll have a cup of tea and some caramel doughnuts, oh and some of these yellow covered cakes." Merlin scribbled down his order and looked over at the woman.

"I'll take a dozen mini multi coloured cupcakes." She said and then shoved her menu at Merlin's lower stomach. Bitch, Merlin thought. The man passed Merlin his menu and smiled apologetically about the woman's behaviour, for some reason Merlin believe this man had to do that a lot.

A little while later Merlin had brought them their cakes and tea and an hour later they got up to leave, but the man stopped and said something to the girl that Merlin could not hear, she smiled and nodded and the man's head turned in his direction.

"I'm sorry about Sophia, she can be a bit rude." the man said and Merlin scoffed.

"Yes, I bet she can." Merlin laughed as did the man.

"I'm Arthur." he introduced himself.

"I'm Merlin, um, as you know already." Arthur laughed lightly.

"Yes, well sorry about Sophia, again, I'll see you around Merlin."

"Bye!" Merlin called after him, smiling, hoping Arthur would come back to the cupcake house, although next time without Sophia.

* * *

Saturday 28th June 2003.

6 Weeks and Arthur walked through the doors. Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin from excitement when he saw the blonde, minus Sophia. Arthur sat on the same table he sat at weeks ago with Sophia and picked up a small menu.

"No Sophia?" Merlin asked and Arthur looked up a the pale man.

"No, there's no Sophia, not anymore." Arthur said turning back to his menu.

"Oh I'm sorry…what happened?" Merlin asked, feigning sadness.

"Its complicated."

"I have more than enough time." Merlin gestured to the near empty cupcake house, it didn't normally get busy until 12pm and it was only 10am. "Plus I can take a break now." Merlin said taking the seat opposite Arthur.

"Well my father introduced me to Sophia, saying she'd be the ideal girl and perfect for a wife, but I told him I wasn't interested in having a girlfriend at this moment in time and was certainly not ready to get married, I'm only 19! But to keep him happy we ended up dating, and last week I told her I wasn't interested in marriage and she broke up with me."

"I'm sorry…why didn't you want a girlfriend?"

"Well for one thing I don't want a girlfriend who has been chosen by my father, I want somebody I love and I'm far too busy with Uni at the moment."

"What are you studying? Oh, um, I forgot to take your order." Arthur laughed, he was becoming very fond of Merlin after hardly any time spent together.

"Tea and some of those yellow cupcakes, and get some for yourself."

"Oh, no I cant."

"Please Merlin, I don't mind paying, I've got far too much money for my own liking." Merlin didn't protest any further and disappeared into the kitchens, setting out making two cups of tea, one without milk from himself and notifying the chef he needed to make some yellow cupcakes. Ten minutes later Merlin returned with a cup of tea for each of them and a plate of six yellow cupcakes.

"Thank you." Arthur said picking up his tea and taking a sip.

"Thank _you._" Merlin replied. "Anyway, you're at university?"

"Yes, I'm in my first year, law studies, what about you?"

"Law, wow, I'm in my final year of college, I'm applying for universities at the moment."

"Yes, law is the family business, I'm also very interested in it, which helps me along my studies. What subjects are you doing at college?"

"Biology, Chemistry, Art and Design, Psychology and English Lit."

"Quite the academic, I was more sporty until I went into University, which one's are you applying to."

"Well there's Queen Mary's, and-"

"That's the university I go to! I got in through connections though, my father puts a lot of money into the University, I would've never got in there on my own."

"I'm sure you would have."

"Merlin, my grades were B at he highest, what're yours?"

"Um, A's and A*'s, but-"

"But nothing Merlin, you're a far better student than I was and still am! Plus I can always pull some strings to get you into the Uni."

"Why would you do that, you hardly know me."

"I don't know, there's something about you Merlin, something I can't quite put my finger on."

* * *

Saturday 26th July 2003.

Arthur had been so busy over the last month, but he swore to himself he would visit the cupcake house and see Merlin today. When he walked through the House of Cupcake's door Merlin wasn't stood by the counter as usual, which disappointed Arthur, but he continued walking and sat at his usual table, just staring out of the front window.

"Yellow cupcakes?" Arthur jumped visibly and looked up at a grinning Merlin holding a plate of three of Arthur's favourite yellow cupcakes.

"Merlin!" the raven haired man grinned wider and sat down placing the plate in front of Arthur. "I thought you weren't here."

"I was on the phone, out back."

"Oh, anyone interesting?" Arthur asked while deciding which yellow cupcake to devour first.

"Just my boyfriend." Arthur looked straight up, shocked at what Merlin had just said.

"You're gay?"

"Yup." Merlin nodded.

"And you've got a boyfriend?"

"Yup." Merlin nodded again.

"How long have you been together?" Arthur asked, intrigued.

"Just over 5 months now."

"And, who is he?"

"Gwaine."

"Gwaine?"

"Yes."

"Gwaine Macken!?"

"Yes, why?"

"You do realise he's 23!? He's five years older than you! He's older than me!" Arthur spat out shocked.

"So, it's not that much of an age difference, my aunt and uncle are fifteen years apart, should they not be together."

"That's different, they're older."

"Arthur, Gwaine's a great man, nothing bad will happen."

"Fine, okay then _Mer_lin."

* * *

Saturday 2nd August 2003.

Arthur enter the House of Cupcakes to find Merlin sat at their table with a plate of twelve yellow cupcakes, one of which was in his hand.

"How did you know I was going to be here?"

"Huh?" Merlin said confused. "Oh, no, I didn't I got my A level results back passed all of them with A*'s except Chemistry which I got an A, and I got accepted into Queen Mary's to do English Literature, Biology and Psychology."

"How long are you going to be studying at Queen Mary's then?" Arthur asked taking a seat and grabbing a yellow cupcake.

"Well my English Literature course will take me two years to complete and Biology and Psychology each take three, so three years from this September, my last year will only be Biology and Psychology, how about you, how long have you got left, studying to be a lawyer?" Merlin grinned and finished off the last of his cupcake and picking up his second, or what Arthur assumed, and hoped, was his second.

"Well, in September I will be starting my second year, and to become a lawyer it'll take me five years, so I have four more years, one more year than you have, by the way what do you want to be, a psychiatrist?"

"Yes, I'm very interested in that stuff, and I like helping people."

"You're a good person Merlin."

"Thank you."


End file.
